


The Little Ankylosaur’s Big Adventure

by theplatinthehat



Category: Paleo Pines (Video Game)
Genre: Dinosaurs, Gen, Paleo Pines, a little ankylosaur gets a little bit lost, but don't worry this isn't an angsty fic, there is a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25135579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theplatinthehat/pseuds/theplatinthehat
Summary: It's a beautiful day in the forest and a little ankylosaur gets a little bit lost.
Kudos: 1





	The Little Ankylosaur’s Big Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Paleo Pines creative contest! I'm running a bit on the late side, but I'm so pleased that it's done!
> 
> Thank you to both picnokinesis and quality for the beta-ing and ongoing encouragement whilst I had a minor breakdown pulling this together. I'm so pleased at how it turned out :)
> 
> Check out Paleo Pines on Twitter and Tumblr - you won't regret it

A little ankylosaur wanders through the forest.

The herd lumbers between the trees, their heavy feet crushing small saplings as they move. Sunlight streams through the leaves, illuminating the woods with a golden glow. Change is in the air; the herd can sense it. Summer is turning to autumn and grazing pastures are shifting south. They must move now, or risk the chill of winter.

This is the little ankylosaur’s first migration. Everything is so new to him, and he drinks it all in with wide, wide eyes. Bulbous fruits, technicolour birds, kaleidoscopic flowers. One bloom catches his attention in particular. It has huge petals and a scent unlike anything he’s smelt before. He pauses to take a delicate sniff of the flower.

He smiles.

He can’t get enough of each and every wonder.

There’s a low rumble up ahead – his mother, encouraging him to keep up with the herd. He abandons the flower and ambles to rejoin the group. The elders grunt as he passes, reminding him that this is no time to play around, that he must not get left behind. He must not step off the path.

But the little ankylosaur doesn’t care for their warnings. The sun is warm on his scales, he is surrounded by the safety of his family and everything is good.

Something new catches his gaze.

He peels away from the herd to find out what it is.

It’s a huge dragonfly – a glistening sapphire jewel in the heart of the emerald forest. He approaches the insect as quietly as he can, determined to get a closer look at this tiny marvel.

Not quietly enough.

The dragonfly takes to the wing, zipping around the ankylosaur’s nose and away into the depths of the forest. The little dinosaur plunges headfirst into the foliage, pursuing his prize. Heart racing, he crashes through the leaves, his heavy footsteps sending small rodents scurrying for safety. The chase is thrilling, and the ankylosaur is so caught up in the excitement that he strays far, far from the path.

He skids to a halt by a riverbank as the dragonfly darts to safety across the water. He follows it down the riverbank as it flits playfully in the light before disappearing from view completely. Disappointed, the little ankylosaur turns back to the path.

At first, he heads back the way he thinks he came. Right at the tree that looks like a T-Rex, straight past the archaeopteryx nest. But was it left or right at the ruby-red mushrooms? And he’s certain he’s never seen his particular patch of swamp before. The screech of a pterodactyl frightens him, and he begins to run as fast as he can away from the sudden sound. He runs and runs until he can’t run another step.

He finds himself in the deep woods.

There’s no sunlight here. The trees are no longer green and inviting, but black and twisted. There is no birdsong to be heard. Even the fruits look old and shriveled.

The little ankylosaur looks around and shivers.

He is very, _very_ lost.

_“Mommy?”_

He begins to wander around, calling for his mommy at irregular intervals – hoping that she, or a member of the herd, will hear his cries and arrive to rescue him.

_“Mommy!”_

No-one comes.

He walks and walks and walks some more, and he’s sure he’s making progress. But when he sees that same tree that’s been gnarled by a lightning strike for the third time, he realizes that he’s been walking in circles.

He is not very, very lost.

He is _hopelessly_ lost.

Defeated, the little ankylosaur sits down in the dirt and begins to cry.

There’s a rustling in the bushes. Something is approaching.

_“Mommy?”_

Something big.

The little ankylosaur creeps away from the noise, not tearing his eyes away for a second. He backs into the hard, wooden trunk of one of the immense blackened trees. With nowhere else to go, he curls up in fear – tail extended and ready to fight. He closes his eyes, and starts to tremble.

A breath of hot air puffs across his face, accompanied by a questioning honk.

The ankylosaur opens his eyes, and finds himself face-to-face with a friendly parasaurolophus. She honks again. The ankylosaur grumbles back. The Parasaurolophus is unlike any he’s ever seen before. The blue scales of her face are decorated with something like vines, and the ankylosaur steps forward to take a closer look.

There’s a shuffling to the left and a _human_ appears out of the depths of the forest. It’s making a lot of loud noises, waving its arms around – seemingly speaking to directly to the parasaurolophus, who turns to face them as they shout. The ankylosaur lets out a bark of alarm and backs into the tree again.

All at once, the human stops talking and looks over at the little dinosaur. The parasaurolophus lets out a satisfied _harrumph!_ at the turn of events. The human creeps over quietly and kneels down in front of the ankylosaur. It reaches out a hand to try and stroke his nose whilst making quieter noises than before. Still totally unable to understand what the human wants, the ankylosaur curls away and calls out in fright.

_“I want my mommy!”_

The human immediately retracts its hand. It pauses for a moment, before turning aside and rummaging for something that the ankylosaur can’t see. Can’t _see,_ mind you, but it smells _delicious._ The human holds out its hand again, but this time it’s filled with food. The smell is enough to provoke a curiosity that is far stronger than any fear, and the ankylosaur eats the tasty treat straight out of the human’s hand. The human gives him a pat on the head, an action that the ankylosaur deems acceptable and nuzzles into.

 _“Friend,”_ the little ankylosaur determines. _“We’re friends now.”_

The parasaurolophus honks in amusement as the human smiles. She kneels down on the ground as the human walks back over to her. In complete amazement, the ankylosaur watches as the human mounts her back and the two of them move as one into the undergrowth. None of the other wild parasaurolophus that he had met would ever do that.

Realising that his new friend is about to vanish into the forest, he hurries his little legs to keep up. The trees start to look more friendly as they progress, the blackened trunks morphing into green leaves. The sun begins to peek through the foliage. They pass by all sorts of exciting looking things, but the ankylosaur doesn’t stop for a single moment. He wants to stay with his friend – the one with the _very_ tasty food.

The three of them emerge into a sunlit clearing, where the human and parasaurolophus come to an abrupt halt – the ankylosaur nearly running headfirst into her hind leg. He looks around, wondering why on earth they’ve come here when he spots…

_“Mommy!”_

His mother, hearing her child’s cry, looks up with joy as her baby waddles back over to join the herd.

 _“Where have you been?”_ she asks, nosing at the top of his head. _“We’ve been so worried. I told you not to wander off.”_

 _“I’ve been on an adventure,”_ the little ankylosaur declares triumphantly. _“And I made a new friend. They’re over – ”_

But the human and the parasaurolophus have already left. He can just about make out the sound of their footsteps as they weave their way through the trees. A grumble rumbles through the herd. The young one has been found. It’s time to move forward.

The little ankylosaur wanders on.


End file.
